DIY Star Wars Marquee Sign

We moved last August and my boy, my only boy, got his own bedroom. There was no question that it would be a Star Wars room, and I started combing Pinterest for ideas. Most were amazing! And some of the most amazing were also, unfortunately, amazingly expensive.

So where does that leave the Little Red Hen? She looks it all over and decides she's got to do it herself...cheaper.

I am not super crafty, nor am I a natural decorator. I can't just see a room and know what to do with it. But, give me a theme, and I can come up with some good ideas. And so it was with this Star Wars Marquee sign.

The original inspiration came from Pottery Barn and is beautiful!

All of their Star Wars decor, I needed. Like I spent weeks drooling over their Star Wars sheets, deciding I was just going to bite the bullet and buy them, only to chicken out every time I put them in my cart. So I went with the Target version which was less my favorite, but worked for 1/3 of the price. Done. Luckily, I found some of the awesome Pottery Barn pillow shams at a local outlet for only $1!!! So, that was a win.

But, you want to know about the marquee sign. The marquee sign I saw at Pottery Barn is made out of wood so it weighed more than 20 lbs, and it cost $299. Uh, that's a no for me.

I saw a great tutorial on Handmade with Ashley to make my own with a Cricket vinyl cutter and wood. It is awesome! I pinned it in good faith only to realize I would never, never take the time to build that thing. I wanted to, it looks just like the original one from Pottery Barn, but tools and time are not my forte. I'm impatient. I want it done now!

So, I had the brilliance to use a canvas from my craft store. Plus, I had a 50% off coupon! I don't have a vinyl cutter or Cricket machine, so what did I use for a stencil? That Target sheet set came with a pillowcase the size of my canvas with the Star Wars logo! Totally old-school, I traced the letters off the pillowcase to make a template and then traced my template onto contact paper. Sweet! (You can also find free online Star Wars fonts that you can download here and print the letters extra large, like 1-2 per page, and cut them out too.)

My sister came over and we got to work finishing the sign up. I had some black acrylic paint already, so I put my stencils on the canvas, painted the entire thing black, and let it dry. Once I removed the vinyl letters- VOILA! I had exactly what I wanted. Walmart had those great outdoor lights for less than $10, so I used an X-Acto knife to cut holes in my canvas, screwed the bulbs on, and holy Jedi mind tricks! It worked!

So, for less than $20 I made this! Oh man, Little Red. Yoda best.

DIY Star Wars Marquee Sign

Supplies:

- 1 18"x 24" canvas (I got the cheapest kind at Michael's.)

- contact paper (shelf paper- I got mine at Walmart for $.97.) 

- black acrylic paint

- foam paintbrush

- Star Wars letters  (You can find free online Star Wars fonts that you can download here and print the letters extra large, like 1-2 per page. Then cut them out to use as a template.) 

- pencil

- ruler

- 20 light strand out outdoor lights (I got mine at Walmart for $9.94)

- X-Acto knife or box cutter

Directions:

• Trace Star Wars letters on to contact paper. Cut them out. 

• Center letters on canvas. You can use a ruler, or just eyeball it. If you use the 18"x 24" canvas, the letters will go all the way to the edges. Once placed, remove the backing of the contact paper so that the letters stick to the canvas. (That said, the contact paper doesn't stick super well. Don't worry. Just press the letters down as best as you can and paint lightly to avoid bleeding under the contact paper.

• Using the foam paintbrush, cover the canvas with a light coat of black paint, going all around, and over the letters. The canvas under the letters will stay white. Apply a second coat if needed, being sure to be careful around the edges of the letters to avoid the paint bleeding through. 

• Once the paint is dry, remove the contact paper letters. Isn't that awesome! Now, lightly mark where you want the lights to be with a pencil.

• With the X-Acto knife, make a tiny X where the light should go. 

• Unscrew the light bulb from the wire. Gently push the bulb through the X and screw the wire and bulb back together. So, from the front you only see light bulb.

• Repeat for each bulb.
• Plug in and be amazed! 

Bake the bread. Share the slices.